Despite the clear inspiration it has taken from Mario Kart and other kart-racing games, Nickelodeon: Slime Speedway is an energetic burst of kart-racing action you will find suitably engrossing. It’s not pushing any boundaries, nor does it always feel compelling to drive – but it will likely steal your evenings with the little ones, and there’s a cast of characters here that will delight those little ones who grew up in the 90s. All told this is a solid effort that will go down well like Garfield’s lasagne – just don’t expect it to get Squidward’s approval.

Pathfinder: Wraith of the Righteous is a worthy sequel as it’s packed full of lore and interesting storylines. The customisation involved in the game is off the scale and allows users to tailor the experience to their own tastes. I think they could have done more to create a really simple approach for those not familiar with these games as some of the choices can become overwhelming and complex. But there are hours of exploration, story, loot, and fighting where this game delivers well.

In today’s world where everything needs to have a simulation videogame, Gas Station Simulator fits right in. Despite some visual glitchiness here and a bug there, Gas Station Simulator remains fun for a period of time before the mundane tasks or overwhelming amount of management takes its toll on you. However, when it has its claws or should I say pumps in you, it’s a decent time. A solid 7.5 gas station coffees out of 10.

Overall Gotham Knights is a fantastic single-player game and an even better coop experience. Fans of the Arkham series will be right at home and inexperienced players will pick the gameplay up with very little difficulty. Beautiful skyscapes, brutal combos, and unreal levels of customizability put Gotham Knights right up there with some of the best Comic Book Video Games.

Visually compelling, and smartly written Mothmen deserves to be talked about in the same breath as the other great narrative games released in 2022.

Airoheart is one of the better Zelda-likes I have played and working my way through the game has been a trip down memory lane. It borrows so much from the Link to the Past formula, but also adds in plenty of its own ideas and mechanics. Perhaps the biggest issue I have with the game is its price point, $40 is way too steep for this game. I think if it was $20-25 it would sell many more copies and find a much larger audience. There are a handful of other issues, but most of those could be addressed with a patch. If you’ve been looking for a game to satisfy your classic action-adventure cravings then Airoheart could be your game, at the very least you should put it on your wishlist so you can pick it up if the price changes or it goes on sale.

Weedcraft Inc gives a little something for both the stoners and the blue collar businessmen of the world. While this tycoon like game is in-depth, navigating with a controller was a bit of a pain. Eventually it sticks and the game gets it’s grips in you however with it’s addicting, one-more thing gameplay loop. If business management or cannabis is your jam, I’d recommend Weedcraft Inc for a try.

Overall Dakar Desert Rally is a diamond in the rough. With the upcoming features adding another layer to the game and a little bit of rounding off and Saber Porto/Saber Interactive have come up with a winner. Newcomers and casual racer fans will love how the game looks and have plenty of fun in sport mode while hardcore fans or players who love a challenge will have a great time mastering.

A Plague Tale: Requiem has improved on the already great Innocence in basically every way, giving a game that feels, plays, looks, sounds, and flows absolutely brilliantly. A worthy sequel, and one that is not to be missed.

Serial Cleaners expands on the original game nicely, with a good variety of missions and characters to play. It has its niggles, but for the most part this is a fun way to spend a few hours.

Those looking to Session to fill a Skate­-shaped hole in their gaming life are likely to be sorely disappointed. It is not an easy game to learn, but more importantly, it’s also not a fun one either. Some better tutorials or alternate control options might have saved the game a little, but as it is I just can’t find any reason to recommend this to anyone outside of truly dedicated skaters willing to put the grind in.

No More Heroes 3 is a solid return of the cult classic series, and one that fans will not want to miss out on. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but give this geeky assassin a chance and you might just be won over.

For its asking price, you should definitely give Akane a try. Just because the game is lacking on the content side it doesn’t mean that there isn’t any enjoyment to be had. If you play the game in a short burst or for maybe an hour or two at a time, you’ll come to love the hack and slash brawler to its full potential.

Time on Frog Island has some charm due to its appealing art style and frog NPCs, but Frog Island is not a locale that you want to book a trip to, let alone get shipwrecked at. Most of my time was spent wondering what the characters wanted me to do, and wandering around fetching items for them. There are some interesting mechanics in the game, but none of them are used anywhere close to their fullest extent in the game’s design. Unfortunately, I can’t get any of the time back that I spent on the game, but at least I can warn you to steer clear of this lackluster experience.

Soulstice has great old school vibes but it may fall short of what it was trying to achieve. It can be frustrating at times and after a while I found it more frustrating than fun. For those who love DMC/Bayonetta, I’d definitely say give it a go, but beware that you will be sinking hours into the game.

With some great performances and an interesting story premise, The Gallery had me sold from the start. Unfortunately, some over bearing choice work and consequences take us out of the tale being told too often for us to really get invested in it fully.

Nowhere near the classic the true Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo was, this pretender does an unsatisfactory and un-compelling job of providing a worthwhile experience. The story takes its time to truly materialize convincingly, and the payoff isn’t worth the effort. From an appearance standpoint, the game looks atrocious and will not have the looks your mother could love either. The act of controlling and playing Vertigo is passable, but unfortunately it hasn’t been properly optimized for console – which goes for both how the game looks, and the absence of a proper cursor when pointing and clicking the environment. Despite flashes of intrigue in the story and some enjoyment with the past memories Ed relives, Vertigo is a shoddy game that fails to live up to lofty standards – and as it shows you quite vividly, this one has fallen off a bridge and splattered on the ground below.

Steelrising is a Souls-like game based on automatons which tries its best not to be a clone drone. The historical setting, outfits and graphics are very immersive and interesting. The combat is challenging and given enough time quite easy to master. The bosses could have done with being a bit harder and the platforming elements need more work. But it’s still a very sizeable game with plenty to enjoy. I do wish they had some stronger background music to help with the historical immersion.

Don’t be put off from the talky interview-centric tenets of Wayward Strand and you will be nicely pampered by a gentle pleasant game of discovery. Speaking to elderlies and hearing them wax lyrical about their relationships with each other does induce some mild entertainment, and the pace is equally as leisurely. There are a few ailments that hold Wayward Strand back from sound bed rest, such as an unnecessarily strict save system, overly-simplistic visuals and its rote minimalistic nature. Yet, Wayward Strand is still a nice and lightly-paced adventure worth undertaking.

Madden 23 is a rehash of all the previous Madden‘s in the series. Bits and pieces were taken from those games and labelled as new. Even though FieldSENSE was refurbished I still strongly believe that it gave Madden 23 its shine. What good is that shine however when the game is covered with bugs and laziness? I’m not saying this game had to be perfect. Other sports simulation titles have their own share of problems. What separates Madden from them however is EA decides to mix the old problems with the new ones. Instead of fixing it, they go and do the same thing next year.

If you ask me, if you’re not willing to play MyCareer or even MyTeam, then save your money as NBA 2K23 is not worth it in the long run. You’ll just end up spending more money than you initially thought you would while potentially playing anything but basketball.

Isonzo commits to the WW1-era faithfully, with the pro’s and con’s that come with dealing with that time periods battles. I enjoyed the slower pace and more methodical approach to combat and objective capturing, and hope to see it continue to build a community of players willing to invest the time into the long battles.

I’ve found myself really enjoying Midnight Fight Express. While initially limited, the combat opens up as you unlock new moves and combos. Being able to replay missions is great, and the customisation in both moves and appearance really sat well with me. I’d have liked to have voice acting in the game, but other than that this comes recommended.

Kaichu is light and silly but for dating sim enthusiasts it might be missing the depths of the genre. For those looking for short bit of fun it is worth engaging with.

Battle Alliance seems like it will be a love letter to fans of the series with so much content to unlock and so many battles to experience. For those that don’t care for the franchise, the offering is very slim.

Credit where it’s due, 80’s Overdrive tries its Rubik’s Cube-shaped heart out when it comes to immersing you in classic 1980 arcade racing and Outrun-styled action. It’s a fast and challenging slice of speed-demon action that’s all too brief and marred by a tedious economy, a paper-thin level editor, and one-note thrills which will start to tire you out before the game’s ending. The soundtrack and attention to presentational details do give 80’s great aesthetics, if only they were fused together with a better arcade racer than this.

Knights and Guns is exactly what you want from a reimagining of a classic title. I loved Pang when it was at the arcades and this game made me feel the same nostalgic excitement I had when playing. It’s simple chaotic fun without being super difficult and overwhelming bullet hell madness. It’s a shame there is no online co-op but it’s still just as fun to play on your own.

First person puzzlers are my jam, and I’m glad I finally got to check out Q.U.B.E via this 10th Anniversary Edition release. The puzzles are well crafted, with enough new mechanics added at just the right time to prevent things getting stale. Add in a passable tale and some lovely new visuals, and we have a game that comes easily recommended to all but the most puzzle adverse players. And look at that, not a single Portal comparison!